Amongst the Northmen there are those who feel the pull of Chaos stronger than others. Such gifted men and women are said to tread the path of the gods, and head in search of glory, power and, ultimately immortality. Warriors of Chaos are excellent fighters, usually raised from strong Northman stock, their skills honed over the years by constant battle amongst themselves and against other races. They are held in fear and awe by the tribes of the north, and have great respect and authority amongst the tribes.

It is generally held that when anyone seeks to ascend the ranks of the Chaos Warriors they must make a pilgrimage to a perspective Chaos gods shrine in the Wastes to forfeit their soul and receive the Chaos armour that will be welded to their body. The armour is rumoured to be produced in dark forges scattered across the realm that were the product of ancient civlizations lost to the expansion of the Chaos Wastes, most notably Karag Dum of the Dwarfs.

It is also more than possible that Chaos Warriors can be fallen knights and soldiers of the Empire or Bretonnia or any other human civilization. Archaon, Lord of the End Times, himself was a former Witch hunter who went mad and submitted his soul to Chaos. Of the shrines where followers become Chaos Warriors, only Tzeentch's shrine, located under the Mountains of Madness in the crystal caves of Nul is canonicaly acknowledged, though there may be others devouted to the Changer of Ways.

It must also be noted that even among the revered and feared Chaos warriors there is a ranking system decided by the strongest of the strong attributes. However, when other sources mention "Chaos Champion" or "Chaos Lord" it should not be taken literally that one is stronger than the other, as other sources (including HammerWiki) may use "Chaos Champion" and other terms as a catch-all term for all powerful Chaos Warriors. Summarized it can be concluded as such (lowest to highest from top to bottom):

As a Chosen in WAR, you are here, though lower level players will probably be more akin to Ranks 1 and 2 on this scale.

Rank 4: Chaos Champion

This is generally more commonly used in the background and WAR, where in the tabletop game, Chaos Lord may instead be used. Chaos Champions are marked by their god as theirs and bestowed with mutations more often than other followers. The more succesful the champions of a god, the more powerful the god will become.

Rank 5: Chaos Lord

In the tabletop game, the distinction between a Lord and a Champion (Hero) is very important, however it should be noted this is not so in the background and WAR.

The highest rank attainable, A Daemon Prince is a human who has ascended to Daemonhood, becoming a true creature of the Realm of Chaos. The Everchosen is a mortal Champion of Chaos, with the blessings of all four Chaos Gods, the forces of Chaos unite behind these warriors in great warhosts, there can only be one Everchosen at a time.

A Warrior who takes on too many mutations or "gifts" from his God and becomes mutated beyond recognition, becoming totally inhuman. warped and bestial. Many Northmen see it as a great favour from the Gods, while others see the Chaos Champions as too weak to resist the power entering them.